San Diego voters could decide next year whether to direct increases in the city's hotel room tax revenue toward permanent supportive housing for homeless families and individuals under a plan outlined Tuesday by Councilman David Alvarez.

In a memorandum to council President Myrtle Cole, Alvarez requested that a City Charter amendment be developed for the 2018 elections. The charter is San Diego's primary governing document.

"To date, every proposal brought forward, from industrial tents to campgrounds have been largely ineffective," Alvarez wrote in the memo. "It is abundantly clear that the most effective way to address homelessness is to have an ample supply of permanent supportive housing available for families and individuals that are close to or actually experiencing homelessness."

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Pedestrians who cross the border into and out of San Ysidro will have a new alternative in a couple of years. The San Ysidro PedWest is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2016. “We all agree we have an inefficient border,” said San Diego Councilmember David Alvarez, who represents San Ysidro. “We all hope to have a more efficient border.”

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego accelerates new water supply

San Diego’s landmark water recycling system took several key steps forward this week when the City Council approved an accelerated timeline and a comprehensive environmental analysis. “The honest truth is the cost of water has gone up and will continue to go up regardless of whether we do this or not,” said Councilman David Alvarez, touting the program as a chance for San Diego to control its own destiny. “These are all the steps that need to be taken to ensure that Pure Water is a reality.”

ABC 10: San Diego City Council considers $3B plan to recycle wastewater into drinking water

The San Diego City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to certify an environmental impact report for the city's nearly $3 billion plan to recycle wastewater into drinking water, and approved the plan itself. Councilman David Alvarez, who heads the panel's Environment Committee, said "sustainability, an ability to control our own destiny a little bit better, to be less harmful and impactful on the environment through discharge -- for many reasons -- this program makes sense."